District 15

When Jim Bacchus joined the Congress almost two years ago, he carried a portfolio that would be the envy of most junior lawmakers. Lawyer, trade representative, governor's aide - his experience showed on paper and in person.Mr. Bacchus has put that background to work on issues of importance to Florida, particularly the space program. He deserves an opportunity to build on his record as the representative from District 15.Admittedly, we haven't always seen eye-to-eye with Mr. Bacchus. For example, his ardent support for a balanced budget amendment is off base.

Thirty of the Florida Senate 's 40 seats are contested in this year's general election, but only a handful are competitive. That select group includes District 8, which stretches from New Smyrna Beach to Ocala. In the noncompetitive category is District 15, which straddles the Interstate 4 corridor from southwestern Orange County to Lakeland. District 8 Republican Dorothy Hukill, a four-term representative from Port Orange , faces Democrat Frank Bruno, the elected chairman of the Volusia County Council, a nonpartisan position, since 2004.

On Aug. 6, the Orlando Sentinel ran a superficial, lopsided editorial on the race to succeed Rep. Dave Weldon for the District 15 congressional seat. Readers owe it to themselves to do some independent checking before they make a decision on Aug. 26. My concern is over the surprising lack of information in the editorial regarding the Democratic candidates. The editorial explains in detail Paul Rancatore's self-professed qualifications and views. Then, according to the editorial, there's the opponent, Steve Blythe, a Melbourne physician who champions universal health care.

Republican state Sen. Bill Posey is leaving the Legislature for a job in Congress after winning a four-way race to fill this vacant seat. Posey succeeds longtime congressman Dave Weldon, who is retiring. Posey -- who has been in the Legislature since 1992, first in the House and later in the Senate -- led a field that included Melbourne physician Stephen Blythe, a Democrat; and two no-party candidates: Lockheed Martin employee Trevor Lowing of Satellite Beach and Melbourne attorney Frank Zilaitis.

Dr. Dave Weldon will get his shot at curing the ills of the country when he takes over the U.S. House of Representatives Florida District 15 seat in January. Weldon, a Palm Bay physician, returned the seat that has belonged to Democrats for 20 years to the Republican fold when he defeated Democrat Sue Munsey on Tuesday.A final total for the four-county district gave Weldon 117,027 votes to Munsey's 100,513, or 54 percent to 46 percent of the votes cast in the 299 precincts.The campaign centered on who could do the most for the district dominated by Brevard, which has had multiple defense and aerospace cutbacks.

Lady Lake Little League has a district top-team tournament champion. Lady Lake's Minor League (9-10-year-old) Athletics defeated the Inverness Reds 6-2 to capture the District 15 championship Friday night at Crystal River. "From what I have been told, that is the first time that we have won a district title,'' Athletics Manager Mike Hensley said. "I knew we had a good team, a lot of good team unity and a lot of heart, going into the tournament, but I didn't know how we would stack up against other league champions.

MELBOURNE - If you were dozing and woke in the midst of the District 15 race for the U.S. House of Representatives, you might think you had entered a time warp taking you to 1996.The race features two of the same faces, and the issues appear to be strikingly similar.Dave Golding is trying again to unseat incumbent Republican Dave Weldon. But this time, Golding is running as a Democrat instead of an Independent, and the race is a two-way instead of the 1996 three-man heat.Two years ago, Weldon won handily, beating Democratic challenger John Byron and Golding with votes of 102,238, 85,083 and 11,298, respectively.

R-OrlandoDistrict 15District office: 1032 Wilfred Drive, Orlando, 32803, 898-1861.Tallahassee office: 348 Senate Building, 32399-1100. (904) 487-5184.Biography: 37; contractor, born in Orlando; first elected to the House in 1976 and to the Senate in 1980; education; Wesleyan College and Rollins College.

The open seat for U.S. House District 15 held by Dave Weldon has attracted four candidates hoping to win the spot in November. State Sen. Bill Posey, 60, won the Republican primary, and Stephen Blythe, 56, a Melbourne physician, won the Democratic primary. They will face off against no-party candidates Trevor Lowing, 39, a Satellite Beach resident and Lockheed Martin employee, and Frank Zilaitis, 48, a Melbourne attorney. The district Congressional District 15 includes about 75 percent of the voters in Brevard County, all of Indian River County, a small part of Polk and most of Osceola.

On Aug. 6, the Orlando Sentinel ran a superficial, lopsided editorial on the race to succeed Rep. Dave Weldon for the District 15 congressional seat. Readers owe it to themselves to do some independent checking before they make a decision on Aug. 26. My concern is over the surprising lack of information in the editorial regarding the Democratic candidates. The editorial explains in detail Paul Rancatore's self-professed qualifications and views. Then, according to the editorial, there's the opponent, Steve Blythe, a Melbourne physician who champions universal health care.

I disagree with the Orlando Sentinel's recent endorsement of Paul Rancatore's Democratic congressional campaign for District 15. I have campaigned for the past year, and while many candidates have offered vague generalities, I have provided concise and clear details of my experience, my values and my plans for when I am elected. As a family physician practicing in Melbourne for the past 11 years, I have worked closely with thousands of the district's residents from all walks of life. My proposed bill to create a low-interest loan program to help homeowners harden their homes against natural disasters would not only reduce our insurance costs and damages when disaster strikes, it would put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back to work.

Today is the last chance voters will have to decide a host of election questions, from who should be the leader of the free world to how local government should operate. Already more than 20 percent of voters have waited in long lines to cast their ballots early. Another 10 percent are expected to return absentee ballots. Election officials hope that will translate into shorter lines today, when all polling places open at 7 a.m. Even if there is a wait, tough it out. As we learned four years ago, every vote counts.

Several more Central Florida candidates qualified for congressional races Wednesday.Seeking the 7th Congressional District seat are Democrats Adrienne Perry of Longwood and Dan Webster of Daytona Beach. They join two Republicans, John Mica of Winter Park, and state Rep. Dick Graham of Ormond Beach, who already have filed for the seat.In the District 15 race, Republican Bill Tolley of Melbourne qualified Wednesday along with Larry Bessinger, a Democrat from Satellite Beach.In 1990 Tolley ran for the District 11 seat now held by U.S. Rep. Jim Bacchus.

Lady Lake Little League has a district top-team tournament champion. Lady Lake's Minor League (9-10-year-old) Athletics defeated the Inverness Reds 6-2 to capture the District 15 championship Friday night at Crystal River. "From what I have been told, that is the first time that we have won a district title,'' Athletics Manager Mike Hensley said. "I knew we had a good team, a lot of good team unity and a lot of heart, going into the tournament, but I didn't know how we would stack up against other league champions.